SO FAR FROM HOME
by ULYFERAL
Summary: Dark Kat with the aid of Hard Drive hatches a fiendish plan to force Megakat City to their knees. Several Megakat katizens end up taking a trip unimaginably far from their world and it will take the SWAT Kats to get them home again.
1. Chapter 1

**SO FAR FROM HOME**

Chapter 1: Earth Has Some Unusual Visitors

"How many times must I tell you that I don't belong here?" The powerfully built male said in tired resignation.

"I'm sorry, truly I am but your story is really difficult to believe and it's why you are here in the first place." The doctor said gently.

"If it wasn't happening to me, I wouldn't believe it either. But since I'm obviously here and I obviously don't look like I used to, I have no choice but to believe I've been taken from my home and altered. Such things have happened on my world before." The male insisted bluntly.

The doctor sighed and sat back in his chair and contemplated his patient. The male was swarthy in coloring, had short black hair, was some six feet five inches tall, and had a clean shaven handsome face. He had been found penniless, beaten, and exhausted by the police. He insisted that he'd been kidnapped and the police treated it as such until the man also insisted that this wasn't his true form nor was this his world.

There was nothing they could do to shake that certainty from the man's mind so they had no choice but to bring him here for evaluation.

Unfortunately, the male continued to hold to his story for the week and a half he'd been here. Dr. Ainsly had never witnessed such steadfast certainty of the absurd before. With treatment, even the most delusional patient had managed to have occasionally moments of clarity where they knew what they believed wasn't true and that the abuse they had suffered was the reason for trying to escape reality.

However, this patient showed apparent signs that this world was foreign to him. His behavior was very cat-like despite his human appearance and his frustration at the lack of some of his previous body behavior made him angry and upset.

Dr. Ainsly was nearly convinced the man was indeed telling the truth but that would mean admitting to the existence of life on other worlds or even dimensions. This was something he wasn't quite able to accept. Meanwhile, there was nothing for it but to continue to try and find out who this male was and what had happened to him.

The patient was taken to his room. He went to his bed and sat down heavily, putting his head in his hands. 'Gods, all I want to do is go home! I don't want to try and make it new life here.' He thought miserably.

Some two weeks since the odd man had appeared, more odd people began to show up in the same area as the first. The cops were taken aback when the same story was being spouted with angry certainty by these new victims.

Captain Jerson stared at Detective Forman in disgust and frustration.

"So every one of these people is saying they are from another world and no one can shake their stories......is that about the gist of it Forman?" Jerson growled.

He was a big black man, who brooked no nonsense. His squad was one of the best and they admired their Captain for being strong and taking no shit from anyone. He cared about his people and that showed in the squad having the highest arrest rate of any other.

However, today was pushing the limit of belief for him. He was a down to earth kind of guy and things that bumped in the night or came from outer space cut no ice with him. Unfortunately, the number of weirdos showing up saying the exact same thing couldn't be ignored, no matter how badly he wanted to. He was a pragmatic and intelligent man so when a large group of people insisted on telling the same story, he knew something truly wrong was going on.

Detective Forman was a thin Latino male, standing six feet tall, with black hair and mustache and a hangdog look about him. Many mistook him for being dull witted but behind those sleepy brown eyes was a mind as sharp as a knife.

"Sorry, Chief but....yeah....we can't make them shake any part of their stories and they are all the same. It gives me the creeps. That male we picked up the first time two weeks ago, is still maintaining his story as well. I just checked with Dr. Ainsly when these other people began to show up." He told his superior.

"Well fine. No word of this can get out to the press. It would heap ridicule on our department or cause a panic among the light minded. Either way we'd be screwed." The Captain sighed, rubbing his face.

"So, what do we do about this?" Forman asked, uneasily. "You gotta admit Cap, this is beyond weird and what has me spooked, is the number of these guys appearing is increasing. I'm almost afraid to find out why this is happening."

"So am I but that's what we'll have to do." The Captain sighed, standing up.

"What do we have to do, sir?" Forman asked in confusion.

"We have to ask these guys where they are from and how this happened to them, what they did on their world, etc. and we'll have to treat it seriously." Jerson said grimly. "And I think we need to speak to that guy in the shrink ward first. Something he said when we first interviewed him leads me to believe he may be someone of importance."

"Yeah, I remember. He said he was a commander of a military force. Yeah, I suppose he'd be the one who might know what's going on or at least have a very good idea how to stop it, maybe." Forman said dubiously.

"Exactly. Let's go!" The Captain said, grabbing his coat and heading out of his office followed by Forman.

Some thirty minutes later, Captain Jersen and Detective Forman were sitting in patient John Doe's room. Two chairs had been brought in and they faced the patient sitting on the bed who eyed them suspiciously. The door was closed and a guard was put outside so no one would come in without permission.

"Alright, sir. Over the past two weeks since your, supposed arrival, more people claiming the same thing as you have appeared. That brings the total to eleven counting you. As much as I want to, I can't ignore that something really strange is going on. So, I'm covering my ass here by coming to you and listening to your story and I will try to take it seriously. So tell me what happened to you starting with your name." Captain Jerson said flatly, sitting back and waiting.

A grim look of concern spread across the male face during Captain Jerson's explanation.

"Kat's Alive! Looks like I wasn't an isolated incident after all but damned if I know which of our super villains are responsible. Blast it! I hate it but I truly hope those annoying vigilantes can figure out what's going on and get us out of here. Gods! I can't believe I just said that!" The male said more to himself than the pair sitting in front of him. He rubbed his head in frustration for a moment before looking at them again.

"Okay, listen closely. My name is Ulysses Feral and I'm Chief Enforcer for a place called Megakat City on the planet Aristal. My city is plagued by super criminals. They trash, try to alter to a swamp or send back to the dark ages our poor city on a regular basis. My enforcers and a pair of irritating vigilantes with a souped up jet defeat these guys frequently. Unfortunately, they always manage to come back and do it again over and over. This means we are always on a constant state of alert.

On this particular day, I was heading for my office after fighting for funds from the city's truly worthless Mayor when I was struck by a bolt of blue lightning which knocked me out. When I came to, I was on your world in an alley, altered and in shock. A group of thugs saw me, thought I was drunk and tried to rob me. That was their last mistake." Feral grinned coldly.

"I may have a body I'm not familiar with but I'm still a highly trained enforcer. The fools didn't stand a chance but in the tussle I was beat up a bit. After that altercation, I wandered around your city for a while, hungry and tired. I was completely bewildered by how much your world is similar to mine but how different at the same time. I was at a loss as to what to do next when your officers picked me up." Feral finished.

Captain Jerson stared at the male. His report was succinct and too full of facts to be a total fabrication also the other displaced people had described the exact same thing. That many people could not be suffering from the same delusion but before he could be certain these people were telling the truth, he had one more question to ask.

"You told my officers that your body was altered. What did you look like before?" He asked.

"The closest thing I've been able to see on your world that looks like us is cats. Except we stand upright and have only three fingers with one opposable thumb. We have retractable claws and possess fangs. Just like your cats we come in short and long furred coats but we have hair on our head and our females have less fur on their faces compared to the males. If you can give me some paper and a pencil, I can draw a facsimile of myself for you." Feral suggested.

The Captain signaled Forman to give Feral his pad and pencil. For some minutes, they sat and waited as Feral quickly sketched something. Five minutes later, he handed the pad to the Captain and the pencil to the Detective.

The Captain looked at the sketch and sucked in his breath. Forman leaned close to look as well and blinked in amazement.

The sketch showed the male before them looking like a giant cat with a coat of fur, a short crop of hair on his head similar to what he had now except his ears pointed skyward on his head and he had some formidable fangs in his mouth. His eyes were larger than a humans and his hand....paws?.... were huge. He had drawn himself wearing a distinctive uniform with some kind of rank insignia on his shoulders and, of course, there was a thick tail extending from the rear of the image.

"Wow! Uh.....that's the damndst cat I've ever seen!" Forman said.

"So this is your true appearance?" The Captain said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Okay. This is so far outside my experience, I've no clue what to do next." The Captain grimaced unhappily, scratching his head.

"Believe me, I can sympathize. I've been in that position far too often." Feral said in commiseration.

"What do you suggest we do, Commander? If any of this gets out to the public there will be a panic and then there will be those, my superiors included, that will brand me as addled." Jerson said in frustration.

"You definitely don't want this to get out. I know exactly how the public will handle that. We may be Kats but we handle panic no better than you humans. As for what you can do, unfortunately I have no suggestion either. I would like to be with the others that have arrived to see if I know some of them and see if they know anymore about what's happened to us. The only hope I have now of getting us back is those vigilantes I told you about. The smaller of the pair is a genius and somehow manages to come up with just what is needed to solve most of the problems that's been thrown at us. I just hate the idea of waiting to be rescued by bigger of the pair. He's an arrogant tom and I will never hear the end of it from him." Feral growled in annoyance.

Captain Jerson couldn't help smiling. "Really don't like them much do you?"

"They operate outside the law and cause unending grief for me by causing millions of dollars in property damage for which I have to clean up and endure ridicule from my Mayor about. You bet I don't like them." He snarled.

Forman chuckled, "Yeah, you don't like them alright and you sure do sound just like a harried cop too."

Returning to a more serious mien, Captain Jerson made a decision. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to get you out of here and take you and the others to a safe house on my own recognizance and hope I don't lose my badge over this then we will have to wait and hope this pair of vigilantes finds a solution because from our end I see no other solution at the moment." He said heavily.

"I certainly wouldn't want that to happen to you. How are you going to cover the costs for holding us and explaining why the manpower is needed to guard us?" Feral asked seriously.

"Damn, you really are a cop!" Forman said shaking his head.

"I'll come up with something. Don't concern yourself about it. Just promise you won't leave the place we're setting you up in and that you keep your fellow citizens under control. Can you do that?" The Captain asked.

"Don't worry, I have the authority to accomplish that. No one will leave or talk to anyone but you and the Detective here." Feral said with a grim nod.

"Good. Alright, I've got to make the arrangements. It might take an hour or more, so be patient." Jerson told Feral.

"It's not like I have any choice." Feral said giving a shrug.

The Captain snorted in amusement. "That's true. See you later."

He and Forman sought out the doctor and told him his patient was part of an important case and would be taken to a safe house. The doctor objected, of course, but the Captain overruled him.

It took the Captain more than an hour to pull in favors to set up the arrangements without drawing too much suspicion. It helped that only Forman and he were in on the real reason for collecting these people while letting everyone else think it was a possible cult that was under investigation and that this group was to be kept in safe custody until they caught the leader.

Three hours later, Feral and the rest of the people were transported to a comfortable house with five bedrooms. It would be tight, but the displaced strangers were just glad to be with others who knew who they really were.

When they were safely in the house, Feral immediately gathered them in the living room and barked a command for order.

"Quiet! I'll explain what is going on when you calm down."

Captain Jersen and Detective Forman stayed near the door as they listened to Feral speak to his people. They were impressed by the immediate response the big male got from the frightened people. The group fell silent and watched the male with varying looks of fear, anger, and worry.

"Alright, tell me who you are before we talk about how we got here. I'm Feral." He said.

"Oh thank god! Commander Feral can you get us home again?" A male asked anxiously.

"No, unfortunately, I can't. All we can hope for is the SWAT Kats can locate us and get us home again." Feral admitted with a grimace.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that Commander." A female said with a small smile.

"Is that you Ms. Briggs?" Feral asked, shocked.

"Unfortunately, yes it is." She sighed.

"Well, the only good news about that, is the SWAT Kats are definitely going to be trying to find you." Feral said, trying to hide his relief.

"This might be beyond even those vigilantes capabilities, sir." A young male said flatly. He had blond hair and was slim built.

"Please tell me you aren't Steele?" Feral said, unhappily.

"Sorry, sir, yes it's me!" Steele said, ignoring the Commander's obvious displeasure at having him here.

"Oh joy!" Feral muttered in disgust. "Okay, who are the rest of you?" He demanded.

"Dr. Konway here, sir." Answered the Chief of the Enforcers BioTech Labs.

"Second Lt. Fairclaw, sir, Alpha Chopper Squadron." A young dark haired male said.

"Dag Sinclair." A nervous and slightly overweight male said.

"Jeren Dewclaw." This from a tall red headed male.

"Mary Shadow." Came the soft answer from a petite black haired female.

"Detective Rickert, station house forty-four, sir." A deep baritone responded from a male nearly as broad as Feral.

"Major Gerald Firestar, Beta Squadron, sir." A trim, grey haired male answered.

The last person kept in the background trying to be unnoticed and didn't identify himself. He was of average height and blond haired.

Feral noticed him though and stepped closer, making the male nervous, a flash of fury flickered in his eyes.

"So who are you?" Feral asked, ready to grab the male who behaved as if he had something to hide.

"I don't need to tell you." The male hissed, tightly, eyes shifting around looking for an escape.

Feral reached out like lightning causing the Captain to gasp in surprise. His big hands grabbed the male's shirt and jerked him off his feet.

"I say you do! Now answer me!" He snarled in the male's face.

The male nearly spit in Feral's face then choked as the Commander switched one hand for the male's throat. The unknown male tried desperately to get Feral's hand off him but the big male only squeezed tighter.

Forman nearly shouted an objection to this treatment and began to move forward to interfere, but his Captain put out a restraining hand. Uneasy, the detective nonetheless obeyed and waited tensely.

The young male's face was turning blue when he finally capitulated. Feral let the male go abruptly allowing him to fall to the floor. The male coughed and rubbed his neck. He glared up at Feral angrily.

Feral leaned down and narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" He said coldly.

"Hard Drive!" The male said in a surly tone.

Everyone in the room except for the humans, gasped, recognizing the name. A few backed away in fear. The enforcers moved forward instinctively but their Commander had things well in hand. Though taken aback at learning who this was, Feral didn't hesitate to reach down and snatch Hard Drive by his shirt again, raise him up and slam him against a nearby wall then shoving his face into the criminals.

"Hard Drive!" He hissed furiously. "What do you know about what's happened to all of us?" He demanded.

"It was Dark Kat's plan!" Hard Drive growled. "I had nothing to do with it."

"Oh sure you didn't! So how did you end up here, hmmm?" Feral asked sarcastically.

Hard Drive looked away sullenly. "I didn't like what he was doing. I told him it was dangerous but he didn't like me arguing with him so here I am." He said bitterly.

"And how did he make this happen?" Feral demanded, shaking the tom.

"He found a way to open a dimensional window. He had me knock out random victims besides you and Ms. Briggs, inject you with something Dr. Viper made up then sent you all here." He admitted flatly.

Feral dropped the criminal in disgust. "So we truly are stuck here until the SWAT Kats find Dark Kat and get us back as well as, hopefully, return us to our true forms." He announced to the others.

"Well, knowing those two, it shouldn't be too much longer." Ms. Briggs said in relief.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Briggs but that might not be as fast as you think." Came the cautious voice of Dr. Konway.

"What do you mean, doctor?" Feral demanded.

"How long have you been here, Commander?" Konway asked instead of answering.

"Uh....about fourteen days." Feral said with a frown.

"That's what I was afraid of." Konway said shaking his head.

"What are you talking about?" Feral demanded, getting frustrated by the lack of answers.

"Hard Drive, when did you send the Commander here?" Konway asked the criminal not answering Feral just yet.

"Two days ago. The rest of you yesterday and Dark Kat sent me here today." Hard Drive answered, wondering where the doctor was going with this.

Several of the Kats were just getting the picture as was Feral.

"Crud!"

"Yes, I think you can see the problem. In our world it was only two days ago but you sir, were here already fourteen days before the rest of us showed. Time definitely flows differently here. Though the SWAT Kats will try to retrieve us quickly, it will still be a long while to us here. I'd guess approximately another two weeks before we might see them." Dr. Konway said heavily.

"Crap!" Feral groaned.

"Oh no!" Ms. Briggs blurted.

"Oh man! That's a long time guarding them, Captain." Forman said, shocked.

"Yeah, but there's obviously no choice. Alright people. Commander Feral is in charge of you. You must never leave this house nor use the phone for any reason. We don't want you harmed here before you're returned to your home so relax, rest, watch TV and we'll be sure you get food and any personal care items you might need. We're sorry this has happened to you and hope you return home safely very soon. Please tell Commander Feral what your needs are and Detective Forman will get what you need. Only he and I know the truth about you so please don't talk to your guards for your safety and security reasons." Captain Jerson told them. He gestured Feral to come to the kitchen for a private chat. Forman followed them quietly.

"I take it Commander, that this guy known as Hard Drive is one of your criminals?" The Captain asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. I'll keep him under wraps. Do you have some handcuffs I can use? It will make us all feel a bit more secure." Feral said grimly.

"Certainly."

Forman took his out of his pocket and handed them over with the keys. Feral nodded his thanks.

"I hope that doctor of yours is wrong and you'll get home sooner." Jerson said with a sigh.

"Yeah, so do I but these eggheads know what they are talking about. He might be off a few days but is usually fairly accurate in his assessment." Feral said in resignation.

"Okay, there's food in the fridge. Forman here will be back later this afternoon to get your requirements. If you need me, here's my direct line. If I'm not around don't speak to anyone else, just leave a message that 'destiny' needs to speak with me and I'll get back with you as soon as I can. Alright?" The Captain said.

"Thanks. Hopefully, I won't need to call you." Feral said.

"Me too. I'll drop by to see you tomorrow evening." The Captain said as he and Forman turned to leave.

Feral nodded, then followed them to the front door and said good bye. He locked the door behind them and turned to face the rest waiting patiently.

"Please find yourself a room and those you don't mind sharing with. We are going to be living in close quarters so try and make the best of it. Hard Drive you're with me as well as Firestar and Steele. Fairclaw, Rickert and Dr. Konway should share a room next to mine for security reasons. Once you've found a room and roommates, put together lists of the things you absolutely need, no frills. The cost of our care is coming out of this squadron's funds and I don't want to get Captain Jerson in debt. He's stuck his neck out and risked his career to help us. Dismissed." Feral ordered.

No one argued as they made for the rooms both down and upstairs. Feral took a downstairs room and shoved Hard Drive in and had Firestar guard him, giving him the handcuffs.

He sighed tiredly as he went to the living room and waited for everyone to get settled and to give him their lists. He sent Steele to secure the house to give him something to do. It was going to be a long day and an even longer night.


	2. Chapter 2

**SO FAR FROM HOME**

Chapter 2: As if things weren't bad enough!!!

The days passed slowly. Everyone tried to make the best of a bad situation. Steele whined a bit but subsided when Feral took him aside and gave him a severe talking to. Hard Drive sulked but was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. He didn't want to give the Commander an excuse to beat the shit out of him.

Ms. Briggs tried to keep everyone's spirits up by making them watch TV and then engage them in lively discussions about the differences between this world and theirs. They actually found some use in those shows that could help in their world.

Capt Jerson and Detective Forman dropped by many times a week to talk to Feral. They traded stories about each others police procedures and differences in weapons. The two humans were stunned to learn how far advanced the 'kat' society was to humans. They tried to pick Feral's brains for technical data to help perhaps update Earth's defenses.

Time dragged on and cabin fever was beginning to set in when someone new appeared on Earth to cause some major problems.

Detective Forman arrived about midday on the twelfth day of their installment in the house, looking grim. Ms. Briggs answered the door.

"I need to speak with the Commander." He said in a low, urgent voice.

She nodded and stepped back to let him in. "Something's wrong, I can tell."

Forman eyed her unhappily but didn't get a chance to answer when Feral walked into the room.

"Is there a problem Detective Forman?" The dark tom asked, frowning.

Forman nodded then gestured to the kitchen, "We need to talk.....privately."

His frown deepening, Feral rumbled, "Certainly." And lead the way. They weren't aware Ms. Briggs was following close behind. As he pushed opened the door, Feral saw Konway and Sinclair just finishing making sandwiches for themselves.

"Could you two excuse us please?" Feral asked quietly.

"Oh, certainly sir," Konway said tugging at Sinclair. They grabbed their meal and left passing Ms. Briggs with a surprised look on their faces but not stopping to speak to her.

Callie pushed her way into the kitchen. Feral asked a question with his eyes.

"As Deputy Mayor, I feel I should hear what Detective Forman has to say." She said lightly.

Feral sighed, "Very well, Ms. Briggs."

Forman gaped at the female in surprise. "You're a deputy mayor?"

"Guilty!" Callie said with a small smile.

"That's why I said the SWAT Kats would be after us rather quickly. They seemed to have an invested interest in her welfare." Feral grunted then dismissed the subject for a more important one. "So why are you here and looking worried?"

Forman's lips tightened as he explained, "We've had another of your people arrive but unlike you, whose offered no threat, this guys taken a real dislike to being here. To make his point, he's taken hostages at a small software business and demands to see you. He promises to kill a hostage if you are not brought there immediately. He is using a weapon we've never seen before but acts like a mini laser that he demonstrated on a police cruiser. Turned it into junk in seconds. That clinched it for the Captain that he's one of you. So I'm to take you there and see if you can defuse this situation before it becomes a media nightmare and the hostages are harmed."

Feral hissed in concern. "That is soo not good! Can you tell me what this guy looks like?"

"Not very well, unfortunately. The guy has some kind of suit on but its covered by a huge cape with hood that covers his head and is wearing a black face mask to hide his features. He's taller than you by at least four feet and broader through the shoulders.

Callie gasped. "Oh no...that sounds like........"

"Dark Kat.......yeah it certainly does sound like him but why is he here? He had the means to bring Megakat City to its knees why risk that to come here?" He muttered in angry confusion.

Callie frowned then a thought occurred to her, "Maybe he didn't have a choice. If the SWAT Kats had found him........

"Kat's Alive!!! He would try to escape any way he could even to coming through the dimensional gate he opened." Feral completed her thought. "That's just great! We now have to deal with an insane criminal that managed to bring his weapons with him and could very likely have one of those bombs he likes so well on his person, too and here we are with antiquated weapons used by these humans."

"Hold it! Hold it! What are you two talking about?" Forman interrupted, getting a nasty feeling that things were going to get much worse than a weirdo holed up in a warehouse using alien weapons.

"Its only a guess based on what you've told us Detective but it appears our most dangerous criminal and the one who sent us here is the one holding your SWAT at bay.......Dark Kat! He is crazy and very dangerous. It doesn't help that he has his own weaponry from our world with him since you have nothing in comparison to fight it." Feral explained.

"Add to that, the SWAT Kats are most likely hot on his tail at this very moment. You might be able to cover up what Dark Kat is doing but hiding that pair and their jet will be neigh on impossible. Hope your Captain is ready to try and do a media blackout or you'll have a panic on your paws." He finished grimly.

"Oh my God!" Forman groaned. "I'll leave that to the Captain. Right now, we have this Dark Kat guy to deal with so let's get you over there."

"Right! Ms. Briggs, Steele is in charge of Hard Drive because he is second but if I was you I'd have Major Firestar back that fool up for all your sakes." Feral muttered to her on his way out.

"Will do, Commander." She murmured back.

He and Forman went out the kitchen back door and made for the detective's car. Feral tried to come up with some ways he could hold off Dark Kat while they waited for the SWAT Kats to make an appearance as they drove rapidly toward the office building the evil kat was hold up in.

Forman interrupted his thoughts, "Is this guy really that bad?"

"He's vicious and cold! If it weren't for my enforcers and those SWAT Kats, he'd have leveled our city by now and believe me he's tried many times. We're not a small place either not with a population of more than 1.6 billion katizens." Feral grunted. "Oh yes, he's bad alright and add to the fact, he's a Kat not a human which makes him stronger than you."

Forman grit his teeth and pressed on the pedal to get them there a little faster. It wasn't long before they pulled up to a police barricade. Forman flashed his badge and pushed through the line with Feral close on his heels until they reached the command post.

Captain Jerson was talking to the SWAT Commander......trying to find ways to get to the hostages. Feral and Forman listened for a few minutes before the Commander decided to break into the conversation.

"None of those tactics will work and besides if he is who I think he is, he'll be armed with a bomb."

Jerson and the SWAT Commander turned to stare at Feral in mixtures of suspicion and worry.

"Who are you? And how do you know about our perp?" The SWAT Commander demanded.

"This is who our perp is asking for." Jerson cut him off. He turned to Feral, "So you think you know who this guy is?"

"I believe from the description Forman gave me, it's the one responsible for our predicament." Feral said flatly but not being very specific since he didn't know if the SWAT CO had been clued in on just who or what he was dealing with.

Jerson face paled. If this criminal was as bad as Feral had described to him during their little talks, they were so very screwed.


	3. Chapter 3

**SO FAR FROM HOME**

Chapter 3: Confronting Dark Kat

The SWAT CO shook his head but they didn't have any other plan for getting the hostages out safely. He eyed Feral as he escorted him close to the edge of his police barrier. The guy was big, powerful and exuded an authority the CO recognized as similar to his own. Capt Jersen wasn't forthcoming on who this guy was but he seemed to trust him so the CO was forced to do the same.

"Do you want us to call him or do you want to see if he'll talk to you?" He asked.

"He's asking for me so give me the bull horn." Feral said, his face tight and grim.

The CO nodded and gestured for the bull horn from the SWAT negotiator who didn't look happy about this either as he handed it over.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out, Feral brought the mouthpiece to his face. "Dark Kat! This is Feral." He proclaimed. He could just feel the odd looks he was getting around him but he couldn't let that distract him.

"It's about time, Commander! Come to me or I will end the life of a hostage." Came the grim dark tones of Megakat City's worst enemy.

Feral grit his teeth, he wished he'd been wrong. "Fine! I'm coming in!" He gave the horn to the CO. Before he could move, Capt Jersen caught his arm.

"It's who you thought?" He asked quickly.

"Unfortunately, yeah!"

"You're unarmed! How do you expect to take him out?" Jersen pressed. The CO wanted to know as well as he leaned close.

"I can't! Only those two hotshots can do that now. All I can do is delay him until they arrive. You need to retrieve Ms. Briggs immediately. When they arrive, she will let you know then I highly suggest you ensure no one shoots them out of the sky nor freaks out when you see what they look like. You better cordon this area tightly then decide who you want to see what they'll have to keep secret or you'll have a nightmare of government head hunters after us." Feral said grimly.

Jersen licked his lips nervously. "They'll think I'm crazy!"

"Yeah, at first but there's no hiding what that jet is nor the crew aboard so you better do something quick. Now I've got to go before he gets impatient." Feral said firmly then pushed forward to walk through no-mans land, the area between the cops and the building.

As Feral disappeared into the building, the SWAT CO turned to Jersen. "What the hell was that all about?" He demanded.

Jersen tensed and tried to think how to tell this no-nonsense guy that these were aliens. "These people aren't from around here." He said rather inanely.

"No shit! I guessed that from the way you two were pussyfooting around. Just how far out of town are they." He growled.

Jersen winced. Commander Sanderson, the CO, didn't realize how accurate that word 'pussy' was.

"You wouldn't believe me. I certainly didn't until too many of them showed up in my borough. I couldn't dismiss it and still I can't believe what I know now." Jersen said unhappily.

"I know you for a down-to-earth kind of guy, Jersen so I'll help you out here." Commander Sanderson said seriously, moving his head closer so that his words wouldn't travel. "I just happened to have dealt rather recently with something downright weird a couple of months ago. If you'd told me I'd see an honest to god werewolf, I'd have ask you what you were smoking. But I did deal with such a beast with a select FBI secret organization that deals with the bizarre. So believe me when I say, I'm probably the only one that won't send you to the psych ward. Now that guy in there spooks me. We can't see his face but I did catch something odd about him through a sniper's scope so give up what you know!"

Jersen stared at Sanderson in surprise. He thought this situation was bad enough but to know there were other strange things of earth itself that a secret organization was dealing with didn't make him any happier.

Taking a breath and settling himself, he told the CO what he knew. When he was through, he watched Commander Sanderson suck in a breath and let it out.

"Damn, that's weird alright! And you say, a jet with two cats will be showing up here real soon to rescue these....uh....people?" He asked, to be sure he heard correctly.

"Yeah, that's what they told me. I don't even want to think what the military is going to do if they hear of such a modern style jet with weapons far beyond our own. Makes me think of war of the worlds." Jersen said with a shiver of fear.

"Except they aren't here to invade but the panic that movie showed isn't too far from the truth if the people of this city see them. So, we better do what this guy, Feral says and make a cordon that's big enough and secure enough to hide a jet flown by cats." Sanderson said in grim amusement. He got on his radio and began to bark some rapid fire orders.

Jersen sighed in relief. Thank god for this piece of luck. If anyone can cover this up well enough, he felt Sanderson would be the one. They were damn lucky he was the one on this case. He looked back at the building Feral had went into.

'Now I hope that poor guy can hold off that super criminal long enough for help to arrive.' He thought worriedly.

Feral was hoping the same thing as he opened the door to the office building and stepped in. The office had a large front section with a secretary's desk and comfortable chairs in a waiting area. Off to one side of the wall behind the front desk ran a hallway with offices.

His human ears couldn't hear as well as his cat one's could but the cries of frightened people were loud enough for him to hear through the wall. A dark form suddenly detached itself from behind a room divider sitting on the other side of the hallway entrance.

"Dark Kat!" He said flatly.

"Commander. You're looking rather different lately." The criminal said with a cold smirk.

Feral growled and bared his teeth wishing it was fangs and claws. He felt so naked and helpless before this formidable enemy.

"So why are you here? I thought your plans were working well." Feral goaded.

Dark Kat growled and his eyes glowed with fury. "I'm sure you've guessed already that those infernal SWAT Kats were the reason for my rather hurried departure." He snarled.

"They are quite the pests aren't they?"

"Would have been to both our benefits if you'd been more successful in taking them out but I suspect you really didn't try that hard since they were doing your job." Dark Kat said nastily.

Feral reddened but didn't take the bait. Now was not the time for him to lose his famous temper. He didn't have the high ground here.

"So what did you want with me? I certainly can't help you get back." The Commander asked, ignoring the dig.

Dark Kat suddenly moved to Feral's side and grabbed his arm, pulling it behind his back.

"Uh....owww......"

"You'll be my hostage for when the SWAT Kats get here. I want back!!! But the only way to return is with their help." DK hissed in Feral's ear.

"Kat's Alive! Then why did you come here in the first place?" Feral was confused.

"None of your business, Commander. Shall we join the others? Hopefully, we won't have long to wait long." The huge Kat rumbled as he pulled Feral along the hall, brutally twisting the arm he was holding.

At the end, he opened a door that lead into a large room filled with computer equipment along the walls and tables. In one corner were at least twenty people huddled together. They stared at him as he was shoved through the door and it close behind him.

He thought he heard chittering before the door closed. He shivered as he rubbed his sore arm. That could only mean some of Dark Kat's creeplings had come through with him but for reasons of his own, the omega was keeping them out of sight.

"So who are you? A cop?" Asked a heavy weight male wearing a business suit without the coat.

"You could say that!" Feral muttered, looking back at the door for a moment then turned back to stare at these humans. It made him feel odd to look at these fur-less creatures. He hoped he wouldn't have to look like them for too much longer.

"I want you to stay calm. Everything is being done to get you out of here but you must be patient. Has he done anything to you?" Feral asked, curious to see what Dark Kat had been up to.

"No. That...guy...shoved us all in here after disarming our security without any effort. He's super strong and has weapons we've never seen before." The heavy set human answered.

"I did hear some kind of strange squeaking sound but I never saw what was making it." Another male offered.

"He gives me the creeps. There's just something really wrong about him and why is he hiding his face?" An older female asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, that guys creepy alright." A younger female muttered, hugging her body nervously.

Feral nodded. "He's an evil person but he has no interest in you. He's got something else on his mind so if you don't call attention to yourselves, you should be safe."

"But you don't know that!" Another male spat, fear making him hostile.

"I know more about this guy than I care too. He's not interested in you." Feral repeated with conviction. These people didn't know Dark Kat would kill them all if it served his purpose. He didn't intend for them to know that since it wouldn't help the situation.

He grabbed a chair nearby and sat not far from the door and took on a waiting look. The rest of the hostages sighed or muttered angrily but settled into quiet groups, soft conversation broke out here and there. As long as it kept them calm, Feral didn't care.

Outside the building, Commander Sanderson had succeeded in making a larger cordon around the hostage scene. It had taken some doing removing people from buildings all around the block for a mile radius and to keep news reporters from getting a whiff of what was going on. He had ordered some of his black ops choppers to guard the airspace and to be on the look out for a black jet.

He'd done everything he could to contain this area including insuring the brass and city officials didn't stick their noses in either. The last thing he wanted was the National Guard to be called in.

While they waited, he sent a small detachment with Capt Jersen and Detective Forman to the safe house where the rest of these aliens were holed up.

Capt Jerson and Det. Forman got out of their car while the detachment off loaded and surrounded the house. They did it as casually as they could so as not to raise the suspicions of the neighbors.

The two police went up to the door and knocked. Ms. Briggs opened and noted the added strangers around the area. She frowned questioningly but backed up to allow the Capt and detective in.

"What's going on? Who are those people?" She demanded as soon as she closed the door.

"Stay calm, Ms. Briggs. They are part of the unit handling the hostage situation where Commander Feral is at this moment. Feral wants you to come down there and be on hand when these SWAT Kats show up so that we identify them quickly and get their help. The SWAT CO has already succeeded in making a large cordon around the place to keep ordinary citizens away." Jersen explained quickly. He sighed, "We got lucky! The CO, a man by the name of Sanderson is familiar with the weird and is ready to help as soon as your calvary arrives."

Callie sighed in relief. "Well, that is certainly good news." Then she frowned as a thought occurred to her. "I know Commander Feral said only I should go but it occurs to me that if the SWAT Kats succeed in taking down Dark Kat things will move quickly and we'll have to be on hand to leave immediately. If the rest of my people are here........."

"Oh crap! They could become trapped here." Jersen interrupted her.

"Yes."

"Then there's no choice. We'll have to take all of you with us. Gather them all and wait a moment. I have to get transport." Jersen said tensely as he turned and went back outside to talk to the detachment leader.

Detective Forman remained, "Is there anything I can do to help you get ready to go, Ms. Briggs?" He asked.

"Yes, you could help guard Hard Drive. We need to insure he doesn't escape to help Dark Kat." She said grimly.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Callie nodded and left to gather everyone. Some fifteen minutes later, everyone was gathered in the living room and waiting to go. Detective Forman and Major Firestar stood on either side of Hard Drive. The criminal had a sour look on his face and his hands were handcuffed behind him.

Capt Jersen came back in and gestured for them to hurry to the van that had been quickly procured from the local police station. They moved quickly toward it and climbed aboard, except for Ms. Briggs.

She stopped Major Firestar and Hard Drive from getting aboard the van and signaled to Capt Jersen..

"Capt Jersen. I suggest you take Hard Drive with Major Firestar in your car." She said.

"Good idea. Forman get in back with them." Jersen said as they packed the criminal between them in the back seat of Jersen sedan.

Callie boarded the van and soon they were on the road. The detachment lead the way with Capt Jersen taking the rear behind the van.


	4. Chapter 4

**SO FAR FROM HOME**

Chapter 4: The Escape Attempt

The caravan arrived at the police checkpoint some twenty minutes later. After receiving clearance from Commander Sanderson, they drove up to the command center.

Sanderson met them. He noted the strangers in Jersen's car and the van behind him. "So, is this everyone?"

"Yeah, that guy there in the middle is a criminal. He helped the one in there with Feral with his plan until they had a difference of opinion and suddenly he was sent here. No one trusts him though so he's under guard until this is over." Jersen explained. He had already contacted Sanderson and told him he was bringing all the aliens.

"Let's keep them in the vehicles for now." The CO decided. Jersen nodded in agreement.

"Has there been any action here?" He asked.

"Naw! Nothing since Feral went in there. It's just a waiting game now. At least we hope nothing's going on in there. We can't see anyone so assume he's got the hostages in a big corner office located near the rear. The blueprints show it's a large computer workspace. Only large space in there." Sanderson told him.

"Yeah, sounds like the best option to control a large number of people. I hate waiting." Jersen commented tirededly.

"Umph. Part of the game." The CO grunted in sympathy.

From the van, Ms. Briggs stared at the seemingly innocent building. Except for the trashed police vehicle and some debris near the front of it, it looked like nothing dangerous was going on. Although, if you looked around you could see armed humans everywhere with grim expressions as they waited tensely for something to happen.

She shivered and rubbed her arms. She hated waiting, echoing Jersen's comment.

For the next two hours everyone waited. You could feel the tension in the air. Inside the building, Dark Kat watched a TV with moderate interest. It was his habit to use his time for learning whenever he could. This was made him such a dangerous foe. Right now, he was watching a show concerning the military history of this planet, picking up a few pointers.

In the room where the hostages waited, tensions were making some of the humans antsy. Some of the males were muttering and gesturing and working on something on one of the work benches. Feral frowned, uneasily. That's all he needed was a bunch of these humans starting something and ruining their chances to get out of here alive.

Just as he thought that, the group of some five males got up and moved with purpose toward the door holding some kind of cobbled together apparatus.

Feral got up from his seat quickly and stood before the door. "Just what do you think you are doing?" He demanded.

"Get out of the way. We're tired of waiting for something to happen. We want out of here now and this little baby will do that." The apparent ring leader growled.

"You don't know if it will work and you don't know your enemy." Feral growled tightly. "All you'll do is get people killed that might have survived. Sit down and wait."

"No. Get out of the way or you're going to be the first to feel this baby work." The leader threatened.

"No.....don't!"........."You can't do that, he's a cop!"..........."You guys are nuts!"........"You'll get us killed!" Came multiple cries from the others in the room. Many got to their feet to see if they could interfere.

Feral groaned inwardly as a near riot began to occur. Suddenly, behind him, the door shot open and pink creatures rushed in. The creeplings knocked the males near the door over and yanked the electronic thing from their hands but not before one of the males had flipped a switch.

The device spat an arc of electricity that struck two of the creeplings and caught Feral who had been trying to avoid the claws of the creatures. All three screamed in pain.

The creeplings crisped and dropped to the floor but what happened to Feral had frozen the humans in their tracks. The electrical apparatus went dead and the surviving creeplings took it away as well as their dead comrades then slammed the door behind them.

The room was silent. The humans stared at Feral who was on his hands and knees on the floor trying to recover from the severe jolt his system had sustained. The smell of fried creepling made Feral grimace in distaste.

He reached out to a table and pulled himself to his feet. Somewhere in his addled mind, he wondered why the humans weren't helping him. Once he was firmly on his feet again, he noticed he could see much more sharply and that he seemed to be taller.

Quickly he looked down at his hands and saw.....fur.....! "Yes!" He shouted in relieved surprise. That jolt had unexpectedly returned his true form to him. But just as he was rejoicing at his return to normalcy, his mind finally caught up with him and he looked at the humans.

His heart sank. Every face held terror and shock. Whoops! 'Now what do I do?' He thought in concern. From the TV shows he'd watched, humans were not so good at handling the strange and weird. He certainly fit that description.

He raised his paws carefully. "It's alright! I know you're frightened but if you'll just stay calm, I'll try and explain what is going on."

The humans didn't move or say anything. Not making any sudden moves Feral lowered his arms and stood in a relaxed posture. Over the next few minutes, he explained what he was and how he came to be there.

His explanation met silence then one of the males that had made the device spoke up.

"So this guy that has us locked up is like you? A cat from another world?" He asked carefully. "And he's a bad guy and you're some kind of alien cop?"

"Yes."

"And you're waiting for rescue by these other high tech cats from your world that have defeated him before?" Another male asked.

Feral nodded.

"Man, if I didn't see you standing there looking like that, I'd say you were crazy!" The first man said shaking his head. Many other heads nodded at that observation.

"Yeah, that's how I think about you." Feral said in grim humor.

"What were those disgusting pink things?" A female got up the courage to ask.

"They are called creeplings. Nasty things. I have no idea where Dark Kat gets them from but they are a pain in my tail." Feral grumbled.

"Yeah, I bet and you do have a tail." The woman said looking at said appendage that was twitching behind the tall, talking cat person.

"So we're stuck waiting again." The ring leader of the aborted escape attempt said bitterly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. But while we wait, I'd like to know what it was you made. That device could be the way to return the rest of my people back to normal." Feral said, eagerly.

The group that had invented the device looked at him in surprise but after a moment of indecision decided to help this guy. In lay language they attempted to explain to Feral what they had done.

They were surprised when Feral nodded his understanding.

"I have a suspicion Hard Drive's surge coat might provide the same effect your device did. But just in case I'm off base on that, can you make another one of those things?" Feral asked.

"Yeah, we can. We have enough stuff here to do it." The leader said confidently.

"What is this surge coat you mentioned and who is this Hard Drive guy?" One of the males from the group.

Feral snorted and gave them a thumbnail description of the annoying criminal and his unique coat.

The humans looked at him in frank disbelief.

"Oh come on! No way could a simple high tech coat could turn someone into electrical energy that still retains its intelligence much less do what you say he could." The leader scoffed.

"How is that so unbelievable as a race of cats with weapons and devices you've never conceived of? We've just developed along lines different from yours." Feral said spreading his paws and shrugged.

"Well, he's got you there, Jean. We've just been shown there are other worlds out there and why should they run along the same lines as us?" One of the group said, fascinated and awed by what they were learning.

The leader snorted but conceded his friend was right. "Okay, we better get busy building another one of those things. We don't know how much time we've got."

His friends agreed and set to work. Feral sighed in relief. At least one thing was solved, now he hoped getting out of here alive would be the next.

Some of the other people not involved with the group came close and began to ask about Feral's world. Since it would help keep them calm and pass the time, Feral agreed.

Some of them couldn't resist touching Feral's paw to prove them that what they were seeing was real. Feral didn't blame them. If he'd been told about a world of fur-less creatures, he'd be skeptical too.


	5. Chapter 5

**SO FAR FROM HOME**

Chapter 5: The SWAT Kats Arrive

Outside it was drawing toward dusk. Command Sanderson was worried about it getting too dark to see though that would help hide the jet they were expecting......a mixed blessing at best.

Suddenly his radio demanded his attention.

"Bogie entering our airspace, sir!"

"Is it what we've been waiting for?" He demanded as he scanned the sky.

Captain Jersen noticed the CO's sudden attention toward the sky as did Ms. Briggs aboard the van. She quickly moved to exit it while warning the others to stay put.

"Just a moment sir!" Came the pilot's voice.

It was nerve-wracking waiting for confirmation. Everyone was tense and looking toward the sky.

"Sir, it's a black jet with red and blue markings!" The pilot said excitedly.

Sanderson looked toward the van and saw Ms. Briggs was outside it and walking toward him.

"Ms. Briggs, what are the markings on this jet?" He asked quickly.

"It's black with blue and red markings." She told him.

He turned back to his radio. "Confirmation made! Let them through. Communicate with them if you can and tell them to come down to the cleared area we've made for them fifty yards due west of my position." He ordered.

"Roger!"

"Unidentified jet! This is squadron leader six. You are expected. Please follow me down and I'll indicate where you're to land."

"Roger, squadron leader six." Came a gruff voice over the pilot's radio.

Blinking at the oddly accented English. He somehow expected these aliens wouldn't be able to speak their language. It was a relief that they did. He changed course and took his visitor's down and soon was directing them where to land.

Everyone on the ground watched as a sleek black jet went to VTOL mode and landed with ease on the street. As soon as it touched down, the canopy snapped back and two colorful creatures leaped straight to the ground with ease.

Sanderson and Jerson just stared in amazement. If a human had tried that they would have broken both legs. The strangers ran toward them at a fast lope. Ms. Briggs called out to them.

"SWAT Kats! Its me, Callie!" She said, remembering she didn't look like herself.

The pair came up to her and stared. "Wow! Is that you Callie? You looked weird!" The bigger of the pair growled.

"Yeah, well it's a good thing I didn't look like I should or I'd be in a lab or zoo somewhere." She muttered. "I'm soo glad to see you!"

"We'd have been here sooner if it weren't for the dimensional difference between our world and this one as well as making the portal big enough to handle the jet." The smaller of the cats said seriously.

Jersen shook his head. Feral had been right about the intelligence of the smaller of the SWAT Kats. This guy would probably be in some think tank here but here he was as some kind of super hero.

He and Sanderson with Forman trailing behind, walked up to the three. Ms. Briggs nodded at them then gestured to the pair.

"These are the SWAT Kats. This is T-Bone and Razor. Guys, this is Captain Jersen, Detective Forman, and Commander Sanderson. I'll let them tell you the situation." She said, making quick introductions.

The two cats turned to look at the three humans with grim expressions on their faces. Jersen shivered as he saw fangs peeking from their mouths and claws on their feet. They wore odd weapons and were, of course, covered in fur. One was sandy colored with black stripes on his arms and the other was a cinnamon colored. 'Wow! They really are cats!' He thought in a daze.

Sanderson cleared his throat but halted as he didn't have all the pieces of this story. He looked at Jersen questioningly. The Captain nodded and began to tell the cats before him what had happened adding the parts he'd been told by Feral and Ms. Briggs. Then Sanderson explained the hostage situation.

The two males traded a grim look between them. The smaller one turned toward him and said, "We're not very good in a hostage situation. We tend to take out the bad guy fast and hard before they can do anymore harm. Not knowing the set up in that building we could inadvertently cause the hostages to be hurt. It may be in this instance we need to just confront Dark Kat more directly."

"I hate that approach, Razor." His partner growled. "But you're right! We have no idea and no time to find a better way to get in there."

Sanderson nodded to himself. These two might be vigilantes on their world but it was obvious they were not unskilled at tactics and had plenty of battle experience to know when it was appropriate to strike by surprise or to negotiate.

"Alright, come on. We'll give you a bull horn so you can call this Dark Kat guy." He said as he lead the way to the command center.

The SWAT Kats followed but the bigger of them gently pushed Ms. Briggs back to the van for safety. That made Jersen feel better about them. They cared about their people even if they didn't get along with their law enforcers.

Sanderson grabbed the bull horn and handed it to one of them. T-Bone decided to be the one who called Dark Kat out.

"Dark Kat! The SWAT Kats are here!" He bellowed.

Inside, Dark Kat had already been alerted by his creeplings of the vigilantes arrival. He went to the holding area and opened the door.

Feral jumped up in surprise. Dark Kat was equally surprised when he saw Feral was back to normal. Scowling, he shook off the shock. "I don't know how you returned to normal Feral but its time for you to do your part." He snapped, signaling Feral to come out.

Now that the Commander was in his true form, the evil Kat wasn't about to allow him to get close to him so that he could attack. He closed the door and pushed Feral forward toward the front of the building.

"Open the door!" He ordered, holding a blaster at Feral's back.

Feral did as he was told then stepped out with Dark Kat just behind him. He'd gotten only a few steps before he was told to stop.

There were gasps from the onlookers. Jersen and Sanderson stared at Feral's real form.

'Wow! He's more stunning in reality than in that picture he drew.' Jersen thought in amazement. 'Well, at least I won't be thought of as crazy.' Feeling vindicated that he'd made the right decision to help this cat person in the first place.

"So good of you to follow me, SWAT Kats!" Dark Kat hissed coldly. "I want to get out of this backward place so you are going to take me or I kill Feral and the hostages."

T-Bone and Razor tensed angrily but they really didn't have a choice but there was one thing they wouldn't budge on.

"The others are coming too!" T-Bone snarled.

"Why should I want more baggage?" The evil Kat growled in annoyance.

"Because no one is going if we don't. It's not negotiable." Razor said firmly.

Dark Kat rumbled angrily but eyed both Kats and could see their implacable looks. Growling deep in his chest, he really didn't have a choice. Killing Feral would be satisfying but would only ensure he would die immediately after. He had no doubt of that.

"Very well! But my creeplings will keep them under control during transit and you will let me off before reaching the city." He said finally.

T-Bone and Razor traded glances for a moment then looked back at the omega.

"Fine! The jet is right there! We'll load the ones on the van then come for you." T-Bone said uncompromisingly.

Dark Kat nodded then yanked Feral back into the building once more.

"I don't like this!" T-Bone growled bitterly.

"Neither do I but unless you got another suggestion, this is the only way we're going to get everyone out of here." Razor said grimly.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with your friend." Commander Sanderson said unhappily. "Unless you have a trick up your sleeve to take down this guy when you have him aboard. So you're going to have to play his game unless......"

Captain Jersen signaled Forman to escort the people in the van and the ones in his sedan to the jet down the street while he listened to what was going on between Sanderson and these guys.

"Unless what?" T-Bone asked in curiosity.

"Well, as you can see, I have sharp shooters all around this area. A well placed shot could put an end to your problem once and for all." Sanderson said plainly.

Razor looked at his partner in surprise. "We've never killed anyone no matter how bad they are."

"Yeah, but that was because we would get into a lot of hot water if we passed judgement over the crooks we capture but here........it isn't us that will do the deed. I think it's a good idea Razor. We'll finally be rid of him." T-Bone said in dark satisfaction.

"Hmmm, still don't like it but you're right." Razor agreed reluctantly. Then he looked at Sanderson. "I'm a sharp shooter. I rarely miss what I aim for. Do you have sharp shooters that accurate?" He asked skeptically.

Sanderson nodded and gave a grim smile. "Oh yes. I have at least ten exceptional shooters on those walls watching us. Just give me the word. My only concern is will Commander Feral be relied on to get out of the way?"

T-Bone snorted. "Feral has managed to evade death as many times as us. He'll duck faster than you humans."

"Then we should be able to take out your problem quickly. We better get moving or Dark Kat will be suspicious." Commander Sanderson said. "Let's do this!" He moved off briskly for his command center followed by Jersen. Forman arrived at his side while they'd been talking, his job done.

The SWAT Kats moved slowly back to the office building, giving Sanderson time to signal his sharp shooters. Staying out of sight in the command center, Sanderson nodded at them to say he was ready then handed the horn to T-Bone.

"Dark Kat! Time to go!" He roared.

Dark Kat had been standing just out of sight with Feral watching what was going on. He felt uneasy. Something was going on but he couldn't detect anything. The humans had moved out of the way and the altered Kats had been moved briskly to the jet. Just to be certain, he signaled his creeplings to surround them as they left the building.

Feral was dismayed. He had intended to take the device the humans had made with him but he couldn't go back for it. He could feel Dark Kat's nervousness. As he stepped out into the growing darkness, he carefully, without moving his head, checked out the placement of the human soldiers on the roofs.

He felt his fur rise with tension. Something was planned and he needed to be ready for anything.

At first nothing seemed to happen. The SWAT Kats had moved slowly ahead of them while keeping an eye on their enemy. The creeplings kept really close to Feral and Dark Kat nearly hiding them from view.

Suddenly, there was a soft chuff of sound and Dark Kat cried out. Instantly the creeplings tried to find a target to attack but with quick precision each of them was being picked off.

Feral hit the ground instantly when he heard Dark Kat cry out and fall. He rolled out of the danger zone.

The SWAT Kats stopped moving and turned to fire at the creeplings. Their unusual weapons were devastating in their effectiveness as they took out what the soldiers missed. In seconds, it was over. The pair ran up as Feral climbed to his feet. Dark Kat was badly wounded but not dead, to their disappointment. But at least he was down and out and that was just as good.

Sanderson, Jersen and Forman hurried to the scene.

"Sorry, it wasn't a clean kill." Sanderson said in annoyance looking down at the injured criminal at his feet.

"Don't feel bad, sir. Dark Kat is really tough to kill. He wears a lot of defensive gear on him. Probably that is why you didn't get a kill shot." Razor soothed him.

"Look out!" Feral roared as he charged the injured Dark Kat. He managed to snatch a deadly looking ball from the criminal's paw.

Razor came to his side quickly, grabbed the ball from Feral and tossed it high in the air then fired an octopus missile at it sending it very high into the sky where it blew up.

There was stunned silence for several moments before Commander Sanderson responded to that amazing shot.

"My God! You weren't kidding that you're a sharp shooter. We humans require a bit more light or specialized scopes to make that kind of accurate hit." He said in admiration.

"Thanks." Razor said with a shrug.

"Wow! That was quick action and man do you move fast there Feral." Jersen said shaking his head in amazement as well.

Feral just shrugged then he went to go back into the building. Walking through the darkened office area he went back to where the hostages were being kept and opened the door.

"You're free. It's over." He told them then took the device the group had made for him. "I hope this works." He said.

"So do we. Thanks for saving us." The leader said in great relief. Everyone crowded around the Commander and gave their thanks as well then followed him as he lead them out of the building where Sanderson had medical personnel come and check them over.

"What you got there, Feral?" T-Bone asked seeing the device in his paws.

"This is how I got my form back. I hope it will do the same for everyone else. Are we ready to go back? Or can we get back?" Feral asked in concern.

"Oh yes. Going back will be easy. Professor Hackle figured out how Dark Kat's device worked and with Razor's help we managed to enlarge it so that the jet could come through. So are you ready to leave here?" T-Bone said with a smile.

"Definitely!" Feral said with conviction and relief. He turned for a moment and shook Sanderson's hand. "Excellent work, Commander. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Safe trip home."

Feral nodded then turned to Captain Jersen and Detective Forman. "Thank you for taking a chance and believing me then sticking your neck out to help us." Feral said sincerely.

"You are welcome, Commander. I've now learned that the weird is possible and to keep my eyes, ears, and mind open because I might be presented with the strange yet again and I want to be ready. You take care and be safe." He said warmly to the tall Kat person he'd known for such a short time.

"You be careful too." Feral said warmly in return then turned and walked with the SWAT Kats to their jet. He climbed into the cargo hold with great relief, holding the device carefully in his paws. Sanderson's soldiers helped load Dark Kat and the creepling carcasses aboard then quickly departed as Razor began to close the doors.

The humans watched as the unusual jet VTOLed into the sky once more then rose high into clear air space before suddenly shooting off at such a high speed that it appeared they had vanished then there was a weird, brilliant light for a second before the night sky looked normal again.

"I hope that meant they are gone." Jersen said thoughtfully.

"Me too! My patrol will look around a bit to be sure." Sanderson said, bringing his radio up to give orders to do that.

When he was through, Jersen prepared to leave. "Well I guess I can leave this mess up to you since you have the proper procedures to take care of the loose ends." He said drily.

"Yes, we do. The workers from that business will be instructed to keep what they witnessed a secret which really won't be a problem since no one but the people with them will believe them. Though, I wouldn't put it past some of them to sell their story to one of the sensationalism rags but no one believes the stuff in those anyway." Sanderson said with a shrug.

"Well I'll leave it to you and thanks." Jersen said in relief that this strange adventure was finally over.

"You're welcome. Have a good night." Sanderson said and turned to take care of business.

Jersen and Forman left for their police station. The report they would write on this would be a nearly complete fabrication but they would never forget what had happened when some odd strangers had dropped in on their city.

Across time and space the Turbokat traveled in the blink of an eye and arrived through an odd looking tunnel and landed. Everyone was off loaded and the device Feral had guarded the whole trip was used on the first volunteer.

It wasn't pleasant getting shocked deliberately but it worked and soon everyone was back to normal, if a little addled for a bit. Very soon all the people involved had been debriefed and treated by the medical personnel before finally being allowed to go home.

Feral contacted his enforcers and had Dark Kat immediately taken to jail, his wounds would be treated there. The SWAT Kats had stayed to guard Dark Kat until the enforcers arrived to take him away.

Feral came to them after everyone had been changed back and Dark Kat was hauled away. "I still can't stand you two but thank you for coming to our rescue and getting us back here." He said sincerely, if reluctantly.

"Yeah, the feeling is mutual, Commander but I have to say that you did a great job keeping everyone safe until we could get there to help. You do good work when you try." T-Bone said in an off hand compliment.

Feral just snorted and they parted on that good note. The Commander could hardly wait to get home and take a hot shower, eat, and sleep in his own bed. It had been a weird adventure and he'd learned a few things he was anxious to turn over to his R&D Section. Maybe soon he would finally get the upper paw against those two vigilantes. One could hope.


End file.
